Russia and Ukraine are fighting for control of the city of Pokrovsk. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, troops have entered another part of the city. The Ukrainian army chief reports territorial gains further north. More in the live ticker.
The Russian army is continuing its advance in Ukraine. The focus is primarily on the strategically important city of Pokrovsk in the east of the country.
All events surrounding the war in Ukraine and security policy in Europe in the live ticker:
7:30 p.m. – Zelenskyy: Russians have no success in Pokrovsk
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denies Russian successes on several front lines in the east of the country."In Pokrovsk, the enemy has not achieved any successes in recent days," the head of state said in Kyiv. According to him, up to 30 percent of the fighting on the front is taking place in the Pokrovsk area of the Donetsk region."You understand how difficult it is for our soldiers," the president emphasized. Near Dobropillia, the initiative remains with the Ukrainian side. The Lyman, Kramatorsk, and Kostyantynivka sections of the front remain unchanged.
In the neighboring Kharkiv region, according to Zelenskyy, only about 60 Russian soldiers remain in the city of Kupyansk."We will clear everything," the president promised. A deadline has already been set for the completion of the operation.
6:25 p.m. – EU Commission: Ukraine should do more for the rule of law
The European Commission has assessed Ukraine as demonstrating a"remarkable commitment" to joining the European Union. However, it must do more to strengthen the rule of law, according to a draft report from the Commission, which was reported by Reuters. Ukraine continued its remarkable commitment to the EU accession process last year. However, recent negative developments in the country, including increasing pressure on specialized anti-corruption agencies and civil society, must be decisively reversed. Despite some progress on fundamental reforms in Ukraine, further efforts remain essential.
4:27 PM – Ukraine reports territorial gains near Dobropillia
Ukrainian troops have recaptured 188 square kilometers from Russia near the town of Dobropillia, according to Army Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. He also stated that they had taken control of an additional 250 square kilometers that had previously been unheld by either side. The advance is intended to force Russian forces to divert their focus from the strategically important city of Pokrovsk. Dobropillia is located approximately 35 kilometers north of Pokrovsk.
1:53 PM – Russia reports advance in Pokrovsk
Russia claims to be nearing its goal of capturing the strategically important city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine, however, stated that its troops were holding their positions, even though the situation was difficult. The claims made by both sides on Monday could not be independently verified. Pokrovsk is a crucial transportation and logistics hub that Russian forces have been attempting to capture for more than a year.
The Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow announced that Russian forces had defeated encircled Ukrainian units near the Pokrovsk railway station and industrial area. They also claimed to have entered the Prigorodny district and entrenched themselves there. The Ukrainian military stated that the operation to clear the city of Russian troops would continue. They asserted that they had thwarted a Russian attempt to cut off a supply route from Rodynske to the north. The Ukrainian open-source mapping project Deep State showed Russian troops controlling a small portion of the southern part of the city. However, the majority of the area is depicted as a gray zone, not fully controlled by either side.
10:36 AM – One dead and wounded after Russian attack on Sumy
At least one person has been killed in new Russian drone attacks in the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine. Emergency services recovered the body from the rubble of a house, and three injured people were rescued alive, according to the regional administration. The region is frequently targeted by Russian attacks.
Ukrainian air defenses reported that Russia attacked overnight with 138 drones and a dozen missiles, including Kinzhal and Iskander models. Most of the drones and one missile were intercepted. Impacts were reported in eleven locations. The air force did not provide further details.
7:52 a.m. – Trump accuses China and Russia of secret nuclear weapons tests
Donald Trump accuses Russia and China of conducting secret nuclear weapons tests."Russia is doing tests, China is doing tests, but they don't talk about it," Trump said in an interview broadcast Sunday on CBS."You don't necessarily know where they're testing. They're testing way underground, where people don't really know what's going on with the tests," Trump added.
Tests are also being conducted in North Korea and Pakistan."I don't want to be the only country that isn't conducting tests," the US president emphasized.
Trump announced the resumption of nuclear weapons tests on Wednesday, triggering international concern and confusion. Experts are puzzled as to whether the president might be referring to tests of weapons systems capable of carrying nuclear warheads, such as ballistic missiles.
4:21 a.m. – Russia expands relations with China in the face of sanctions
To deepen relations with China in light of Western sanctions, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin departed for a two-day visit to China on Monday. The Kremlin says it attaches"very great importance" to the trip. Talks with Premier Li Qiang and President Xi Jinping are planned.
Shortly before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the two countries agreed to a"partnership without borders" in February 2022. Since then, Moscow has increasingly turned to Beijing to mitigate the impact of sanctions. Representatives of both governments had already discussed expanding trade in raw materials such as copper and nickel, as well as agricultural goods, on Sunday.
00:38 – Trump reaffirms cancellation of Tomahawk deliveries to Ukraine
US President Donald Trump has reiterated that he does not intend to supply Ukraine with Tomahawk long-range missiles. In response to a reporter's question aboard Air Force One, he replied:"No, not really."
Sunday, November 2nd:
5:00 PM – Zelenskyy thanks Merz “personally” for Patriot systems
Ukraine has strengthened the Patriot component of its air defense. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this on the X platform and thanked German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in German."I thank Germany and Chancellor Friedrich Merz personally for this joint step to protect human lives from Russian terrorism. We have been preparing this strengthening of our air defenses for some time, and now the agreements reached have been implemented. I thank everyone who contributed to this!"
In August, the German Federal Ministry of Defense announced it would transfer further components of the Patriot missile system to Ukraine to strengthen the country's air defense with additional Patriot batteries. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had previously agreed with his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, that Germany would receive newly manufactured Patriot systems from the United States in return, in order to continue fulfilling its own NATO obligations.
In his post on X, Zelenskyy announced further steps in"building a reliable air defense system." "Negotiations on further joint steps to strengthen air defense are ongoing – both at the governmental level and directly with the manufacturers of the necessary systems," Zelenskyy announced."Our security is indivisible – that means our air defense must protect us all."
3:33 PM – Russians continue to advance in Pokrovsk
Russian troops have advanced further into the heart of the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk during heavy fighting. This was reported by the pro-government Ukrainian military channel Deep State on Telegram, without providing further details. Earlier, Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi had indicated that the operation to drive Russian forces out of the city was continuing.
Several hundred Russian soldiers have infiltrated the Ukrainian lines around the city in recent days and entrenched themselves in the center of Pokrovsk. Russian troops have been advancing on the mining town of Pokrovsk in the Donbas region for more than a year, suffering heavy losses. Before the war, Pokrovsk had a population of approximately 60,000. Ukrainian troops in Pokrovsk and the neighboring town of Myrnohrad are threatened with encirclement.
Ukraine is reportedly attempting to halt the fall of Pokrovsk by deploying special forces behind Russian lines. Ukrainian media, citing sources in the military intelligence agency HUR, reported that a commando unit was dropped by helicopter and tasked with securing supply lines to Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad. The Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow claimed that the Ukrainian special forces had been"annihilated." Independent reports on the events were not available.
1 p.m. – Zelenskyy: Thousands of drones and bombs in one week
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia has used almost 1,500 combat drones, 1,170 guided bombs, and more than 70 missiles against Ukraine this week alone."There were hits on ordinary residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, as well as countless terrorist attacks targeting the energy sector," Zelenskyy wrote on the social network X.
Moscow wants to harm the people of Ukraine. The Kyiv government is working to secure the energy supply for the winter. Zelenskyy thanked all foreign partners who are helping to protect the energy system – including Germany, the USA, and the EU.
11:40 AM – Entire Donetsk region without power after Russian attacks
Following Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, the entire Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine has lost power, according to regional governor Vadym Filashkin. Authorities are working to restore electricity. Earlier, nearly 60,000 residents in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region were left without power after overnight Russian attacks, as reported by governor Ivan Fedorov.
10:53 a.m. – Ukraine reports six dead after overnight Russian attacks
Six people were killed in a wave of overnight Russian missile and drone attacks in Ukraine on Sunday night, according to Ukrainian authorities."Russian forces attacked the Dnipropetrovsk and Odessa regions," the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office announced on the Telegram messaging service."Six people were killed, including two children," the statement continued.
09:13 – Crew of Russian oil tanker had to be brought to safety
A fire broke out on an oil tanker in the Russian Black Sea port of Tuapse as a result of the apparently successful Ukrainian drone attack. The crew was evacuated from the ship, according to the civil defense headquarters of the southern Russian region of Krasnodar. The oil loading terminal was also damaged in the attack.
Telegram channels circulated photos suggesting three fires in the port.
Later, the staff added that two foreign civilian ships flying foreign flags had been damaged. No further details were provided. Debris from Ukrainian drones had also fallen over other port cities on the Russian Black Sea coast, it was reported.
8:04 a.m. – Tens of thousands without power in the Ukrainian front-line region of Zaporizhzhia
A Russian airstrike overnight in the Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine left nearly 60,000 people without power, according to authorities. Two people were injured and several buildings destroyed, said regional governor Ivan Fedorov. Repair crews will restore power as soon as the security situation allows. Russia has intensified its missile and drone attacks on power facilities since the start of the heating season. The Zaporizhzhia region is subjected to almost daily artillery, missile, and drone fire.
5:45 a.m. – Kremlin considers meeting with Trump unnecessary at present
The Kremlin does not currently consider a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump necessary to resolve the Ukraine conflict. Rather,"very careful work on the details" is required, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday, according to the state news agency TASS.
1:31 a.m. – Russia reports fire in oil port after drone attack
A Ukrainian drone attack has sparked a fire and damaged port facilities in the Russian Black Sea port city of Tuapse, according to Russian officials. The port houses a major oil terminal and a refinery belonging to the Rosneft corporation, which have been targeted multiple times in the past. This was reported by the Krasnodar regional administration. There were no reports of injuries.
Telegram channels circulated photos suggesting three fires at the port. Novorossiysk and Tuapse are the most important ports for oil exports on Russia's Black Sea coast.
